Grave of Benjamin Blyth, Grange Cemetery

Benjamin Hall Blyth (14 July 1819 – 21 August 1866) was a Scottish

civil engineer A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering – the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructure while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing ...

Life

Blyth was born at 26 Minto St in

Newington, Edinburgh Newington is a neighbourhood of southern Edinburgh, Scotland. Developed from the early 19th century, it is an affluent, predominantly residential area. Located between 1 (1.5km) and 2.5 miles (4km) south of Edinburgh city centre, Newington is ...

, the son of Robert Brittain Blyth, an iron merchant, and his wife, Barbara Cooper. He was their third son, and the first to survive to adulthood. Blyth was trained as a railway engineer under an apprenticeship with Grainger &

Miller A miller is a person who operates a Gristmill, mill, a machine to grind a grain (for example corn or wheat) to make flour. Mill (grinding), Milling is among the oldest of human occupations. "Miller", "Milne" and other variants are common surname ...

, a railway contractor. In 1848 he established an engineering practice on the prestigious George Street (at no 124) in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

where it would remain for the next 100 years. In 1854, after his brother Edward Lawrence Ireland Blyth finished his own apprenticeship with Grainger & Miller, Benjamin took him into partnership of the renamed ''B & E Blyth''. The practice did work for the Caledonian,

Glasgow and South Western The Glasgow and South Western Railway (G&SWR) was a railway company in Scotland. It served a triangular area of south-west Scotland between Glasgow, Stranraer and Carlisle. It was formed on 28 October 1850 by the merger of two earlier railway ...

, Scottish Central, Dundee and Perth, Great North of Scotland and

Portpatrick Portpatrick is a village and civil parish in the historical county of Wigtownshire, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It is located on the west coast of the Rhins of Galloway. The parish is about in length and in breadth, covering . History ...

railway companies. Blyth was a first cousin of

Arthur Blyth Sir Arthur Blyth (19 March 1823 – 7 December 1891) was Premier of South Australia three times; 1864–65, 1871–72 and 1873–75. Early life The son of William Blyth and his wife, Sarah Wilkins, he was born at Birmingham, England on 21 ...

, who was three times premier of South Australia in the 19th century. Their fathers were brothers.Blyth, E.L.I. 1893, The family of Blythe or Blyth of Norton and Birchet His older sister was Scottish philanthropist, educational and campaigner

Phoebe Blyth Phoebe Blyth (5 April 1816 – 12 February 1898) was a Scottish philanthropist, educationist and a leading campaigner for opening up opportunities for women in professional employment. Early life and education Phoebe Blyth was born in the Newi ...

. Blyth married Mary Dudgeon Wright in Leith, Edinburgh, on 1 August 1848. They initially lived at 26 Minto Street in the south of Edinburgh. Mary took on clerical duties in the early stages of Blyth's company. From 1854 they lived at 12 Hope Terrace, Edinburgh. Blyth died from diabetes aggravated by overwork at home in

North Berwick North Berwick (; gd, Bearaig a Tuath) is a seaside town A seaside resort is a town, village, or hotel that serves as a vacation resort and is located on a coast. Sometimes the concept includes an aspect of official accreditation based on th ...

on 21 August 1866 and is buried in the

Grange Cemetery The Grange (originally St Giles' Grange) is an affluent suburb of Edinburgh, just south of the city centre, with Morningside and Greenhill to the west, Newington to the east, The Meadows park and Marchmont to the north, and Blackford Hil ...

, being survived by his wife, seven sons and two daughters. His wife died of cancer and meningitis in 1868, and their children were subsequently brought up by his wife's sister, Elizabeth Scotland Wright. His eldest son

Benjamin Blyth II Benjamin Hall Blyth FRSE (25 May 1849 – 13 May 1917), often called Benjamin Blyth II, was a Scottish civil engineer. Family Blyth, who was born at 36 Minto Street, Edinburgh, was the eldest of the nine children of Mary Dudgeon Wright and ...

took over his father's practice and the company remains in business to this day as Blyth and Blyth. His house served as the offices of

Scottish Natural Heritage NatureScot ( gd, NàdarAlba), which was formerly known as Scottish Natural Heritage, is an executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government responsible for the country's natural heritage, especially its natural, genetic and ...

between 1950 and 2003 then reverted to its use as a family home.

Employees

The harbour engineer,

William Dyce Cay William Dyce Cay, MICE FRSE (28 March 1838 – 13 December 1925) was a Scottish civil engineer. He was responsible for the majority of late 19th century works to Aberdeen harbour. He was described by his cousin, James Clerk Maxwell, as "my best ...

, worked under Blyth on the

Castle Douglas Castle Douglas ( gd, Caisteal Dhùghlais) is a town in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It lies in the lieutenancy area of Kirkcudbrightshire, in the eastern part of Galloway, between the towns of Dalbeattie and Gatehouse of Fleet. It is in the ...

Railway in 1861.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blyth, Benjamin 1819 births 1866 deaths 19th-century Scottish businesspeople People from North Berwick 19th-century British engineers Scottish civil engineers Engineers from Edinburgh British railway civil engineers Burials at the Grange Cemetery